Tuesday, July 28, 2015

9 tips to save money & have the best time in Santorini

Warning: Prepare for your eyes to hurt so badly from all the beauty that Santorini will shine upon you. Moreover, a distinguishing thing about Greek people is their hospitality and friendliness, best I have seen so far.

From Santorini with Lava - Fira Caldera View

Chilling in Firostefani - Santorini

Windy Island: Especially if you go in June / July. So take a scarf or a jacket, because as soon as the beautiful sunset is over, it gets a bit chilly. But, more reason to have some of their red wine!

Akrotiri ruins:If you're into ruins and appreciate history, the ancient village of Akrotiri is going to impress you. Take the bus there, then walk for 5 minutes to reach the red beach (have your sneakers on you in case you decide to do the 15 minutes hike instead of the boat trip). Have your swimsuit and a towel with you, saves time since you will want to dip your toes in the refreshing sea there. I thought I wasn't going to swim a lot there, but I ended up swimming 3 times!

Boat trip: You can pay 60€ and 90€ for a traditional or luxurious boat trip that takes you to the white beach, red beach (red sand), black beach (black sand from lava), Nea Kameni volcano island, and then settle by Oia for the famous sunset or you can take the bus to red beach for 2€ and from there take a small boat to the other two beaches for 5€ (a boat shows up every 15 minutes, so there's always a "ride"). You can then take a separate boat to watch the sunset from Oia, or simply just go to Oia and have dinner somewhere or a drink while watching the sunset. Just make sure you reserve prior. We also took a boat for 18€ to the volcano island and hot springs where you swim. The water is brown and smells of sulfur, I recommend you take a swim suit that you don't really love!

Volcano Island - Santorini

Chilling on the Theoxenia hotel terrace for sunset

Transport: In general, if you're staying in the center island, Fira, the bus station can take you almost anywhere on the island for around 2€. Another alternative is to rent an ATV there. It's a thing! It's a very small island. Most boats leave from the old Fira boat dock. You can walk down, ride a donkey down, or take a cable car!

Accommodation: If it's your first time and you’re not planning on renting an ATV, stay in the center. But if you're there for a while, I suggest you stay in Oia or Akrotiri, they're quieter! Akrotiri is cheaper, and has a brilliant view of Fira and Oia. Firostefani is a 10 minute walk from Fira, but less noisy and also beautiful.

Restaurants: On my bus rides, I kept an eye out for restaurants that looked interesting and/or had an amazing view. So here are a few names:

Nightlife: There's plenty, however over 3 nights we weren't able to do much especially after being in the sun all day – it can tire you! But, I recommend Casablanca Soul as it plays really interesting music (salsa, techno...), Franco's (lounge and drinks - also good for sunset) and Tango (for dancing) bars both near each other with a caldera view, where the night sky is very attractive to gaze into.

Stay where we stayed: If you insist on staying in the center, then I highly recommend Theoxenia hotel where we stayed, for the following reasons:

Terrace has a beautiful view where you can have breakfast, watch the sunset, or even do some yoga. Your life is going to expand to eternity from the amount of beauty you will see.

All amenities and facilities are there, they also have a partnership with a very close by hotel (Aresana) where you can use the pool, jacuzzi and get a massage.

And the best is their concierge, Tassos and Maria who are incredibly helpful and super nice (I hope they would still be there when you visit). They gave us amazing tips on where to eat, how to plan our day, where to go and when, depending on what we're looking for, how to use public transportation. And Maria even joined us when we went and partied in Casablanca (which was her recommendation too).

Jam: Greeks are known for their yummy jam and compote, from Akrotiri ruins to the red sea (if you take left to do the hike), you will see a small house selling homemade jam and olive oil etc... In case you like that!